As Million Dollar Secret‘s first millionaire, Lauren Jean had a heavy weight to bear: she was secretly given a million dollars, and had to hide her identity through clever strategy and sometimes, sheer luck. Million Dollar Secret relies on a concept of deceit: A group of strangers gather together in a remote location, one of them tasked with being the millionaire, and hiding their identity from the rest of the group in order to be the last one standing with the millions. The millionaire rotates, meaning a cast member can release the millions, but the title can always be reclaimed.
A savvy player waits as long as they could to be the millionaire, so the chances of them ending the show with the title (and the cash) is higher. They don’t have a choice, however, and when Lauren revealed to be Million Dollar Secret season 1’s first millionaire, she couldn’t hide her feelings. As she opened her wooden box to a cool million dollars in cash on the first episode, Lauren looked panicked. “No,” she managed to utter in disbelief. “No, my God… I am so scared to be the millionaire, and I’m terrified to start that grueling game of deceit.”
Lauren Was Uncomfortable Being The Millionaire
Lauren Couldn’t Handle The Pressure
Watching Lauren unravel as she discovered she was the show’s first millionaire was surprising at first. I would think being the millionaire would be a good thing, but Lauren seemed completely out of sorts. When it was explained that the millionaire needed to keep up their identity secret throughout the entire season, and it would be a lot easier for one to do that if they weren’t named the millionaire until closer to the end, I still thought Lauren’s response was unusual.
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Lauren seemed shook to see that she would have the responsibility of being millionaire. She said she intends to act totally normal, like her box is empty, when she returns to the others. When host Peter Serafinowicz asked Lauren whether she’s good at keeping secrets, she responded, “I’m going to have to be.”
Lauren Hated Lying
Lauren Struggled With Being Deceitful, Even Though That’s The Game
As the millionaire, Lauren was given secret agendas to complete that could help her gain more power. Her challenge was to complete the agendas without drawing suspicion.
Her first challenge was to hug each contestant, which seemed simple enough, but because the other participants were on the lookout for odd behavior, Lauren needed to be strategic.
Lauren’s biggest struggle was feeling guilty for lying to the others. She completed her hug agenda, but she repeatedly said in confessionals that it made her uncomfortable to lie. At one point, another contestant, Sam Sepulveda, tries to create an emotional connection with the others by crying over her infertility, which Lauren interrupts.
“Walking into this room of crying people is a moral dilemma. In my normal personality, I would never use a hug to benefit me. I’m struggling a lot.”
Lauren knew that Sam’s emotions were her opportunity to get some hugs, but she still struggled with the ethics of it. However, Sam played up her emotions to get sympathy, without worrying about the moral implications. Sam understands that she has to do what she has to do to win, but Lauren can’t get past it.
Lauren’s Admission Backfired On Her
Lauren Tried To Be Honest
By episode 3, Lauren had won enough challenges to be able to relinquish the million dollars to another contestant. She would have a chance to recoup the millions later in the game, but she was so uncomfortable with the lying and deceit she needed to rely on, she felt it was safer if it went to someone else temporarily.
Lauren’s biggest mistake of the season was revealing her identity as the first millionaire to the group.
After it’s announced that the million dollars had changed hands, Lauren buckles under the pressure. She said she was the millionaire, but she made a case for herself to stay on the show by playing up the fact that she knows some of the secrets and inner-workings of being the millionaire, so she’s a valuable asset. Lauren claimed she came clean to build trust, but it backfired.
The others didn’t agree that she was now an asset. They felt Lauren was being sneaky, since she’d been lying to them up until she decided to tell them she was the millionaire, so she couldn’t be trusted. She also refused to tell them every detail about what she knew, choosing to keep some of the facts to herself. This further pushed her away from the cast, and she was unceremoniously sent home by the end of episode 3.
Million Dollar Secret drops new episodes each Wednesday on Netflix.
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